Thursday, February 24, 2005

Damian Miller Bio

Damian Miller (Newcomer Breakdown)

By Bill
Batterman

Published 2/23/2005

Spring Training is just beginning and
the Brewers have no shortage of fresh faces at their Arizona compound.
To help fans get acclimated with this year's crop of newcomers to the
organization, the Daily Brew has been publishing a series of player
profiles over the past several weeks. This is the eighth installment in
the Newcomer Breakdown series, which covers major leaguers as well as
selected minor leaguers; the first seven profiles covered
Jerome Gamble,
Derrick Turnbow,
Justin Lehr,
Julio Santana,
Jose Capellan,
Sam Narron, and
Nelson Cruz.

-----

In 1999, Dave Nilsson batted .309 for Milwaukee with a .400 on-base
average and .554 slugging average. At 29, the Australian-native earned a
spot on the National League All-Star team and finished the season with
21 homers, 19 doubles, and 62 RBI. The Brewers declined to offer him
arbitration, however, and Nilsson opted to spend the 2000 campaign in
Japan so that he could play for Australia in the Olympics.

To fill the vacated catcher's spot, the Brewers acquired good-glove,
no-stick Henry Blanco and he hit .236/.318/.394 in 2000. The
switch-hitting Raul Casanova split time with Blanco and batted
.247/.331/.407, better than Blanco but more than 200 OPS points below
Nilsson's production from the previous season.

Since then, offensive futility has been the name of the game for the
Brewers' catching corps. Blanco and Casanova continued their mediocre
performance in 2001, Paul Bako and Robert Machado reached new lows in
2002, Eddie Perez and Keith Osik clung to mediocrity through 2003, and
Chad Moeller and Gary Bennett challenged the 2002 fivesome for worst of
the bunch in 2004.

In total, the Brewers have pencilled 14 backstops into their lineup
card since Nilsson last wore the tools of ignorance in 2000. Of those,
only six have posted a better-than-700 OPS and only three have topped
750, one of whom (Tyler Houston in 2000) played only 20 games at the
position and another of whom (Kevin Brown in 2001) received just 46
plate appearances. That leaves Casanova's 2001 OPS of 787 as the best of
the entire group, but it came in just 208 plate appearances. Not
surprisingly, Casanova's 2001 campaign is also the best Value Over
Replacement Player (a measure of a player's total offensive
contributions developed by Baseball Prospectus) for a Brewers' catcher
in the post-Nilsson era. Besides Casanova, the only backstop to
accumulate double digits in VORP was Perez, who batted .271 with a 724
OPS in 2003.

Combining the offensive contributions of all 14 of the Brewers'
catchers (with the exception of Houston), Milwaukee can boast 20.4 more
runs for their club from 2000-to-2004 than a replacement player would
have contributed. To put that number into context, it is less than half
of Nilsson's contribution in 1999 alone (44.7).

When you look up "futility" in the American Heritage Dictionary,
you'll find "the quality of having no useful result; uselessness." For a
representative example, the folks at Houghton Mifflin need look no
further than the Brewers' catchers in the opening decade of the 21st
century. While a handful of the Brewers' appointed signal callers can
rightfully lay claim to outstanding defensive reputations and clubhouse
personalities, their collective inability to succeed in the batter's box
is staggering.

Fortunately, Brewers' General Manager Doug Melvin addressed this most
pressing need by inking 35-year old Damian Miller to a three-year
contract in late November. For the first time in six seasons, Milwaukee
will enter 2005 with an everyday catcher who can contribute not only
behind the plate but also while standing beside it with a bat in his
hands.

A Wisconsin native, Miller graduated from West Salem High School in
1986 and attended nearby Viterbo University in La Crosse. Selected in
the 20th round of the 1990 June Amateur Draft by the Twins, Miller made
his professional debut with Elizabethton in the Appalachian League, the
Twins' Rookie-Level affiliate since 1974. Miller appeared in just 14
games and batted .222 but Minnesota promoted him to Kenosha of the
Single-A Midwest League in 1991. He hit .232 with a 612 OPS in 80 games
on a team that included two of the League's top hitters: Major League
veteran journeyman Midre Cummings led the MWL with a .321 average and
Paul Russo, now the Baseball Coach at the University of Tampa, topped
the charts in home runs (20) and RBI (100).

A second taste of the Midwest League was much more palatable for
Miller, who saw his playing time increase in 1992 thanks to his .292
average and 799 OPS. He earned All-Star honors along with Brewers'
prospect Tyrone Hill and future-Brewer Alex Ochoa (among others) in
Kenosha's penultimate season in the Midwest League, leading his club in
hits, RBI, and batting average.

While Kenosha's franchise moved to Fort Wayne, Miller moved up the
Twins' ladder and landed in the High-A Florida State League to open
1993. After being invited to Minnesota's Spring Training for the first
time (albeit as a warm body to catch pitchers' mound sessions), the
23-year old regressed mightily and batted just .212 in 87 games with the
Fort Myers Miracle. The Twins also gave Miller a handful of at-bats with
the Nashville Xpress, then a member of the Double-A Southern League and
co-occupant of Greer Stadium with the current Brewers' Triple-A
affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. After his second Spring Training with
the Twins, Miller spent the entire 1994 campaign with the Xpress. In 103
games, he hit .268 with ten doubles, eight homers, and a 708 OPS.

With the big leaguers on strike, Miller joined the Twins' minor
league camp in 1995 where one of the most important events of his career
took place. After being requested to do so by the organization so that
they could field enough players for split squad games, Miller appeared
in a game at the Major League camp featuring "replacement players."
Along with two of his teammates, Miller's participation put him on the
union's blacklist and he was excluded from participation in baseball's
union beginning the following season.

"There were a couple of higher officials with the Twins who told us
it wouldn't be a problem," Miller explained. "They said it would be good
for us to get some extra at-bats. Now I totally regret it. It weighs
heavy on my conscience. At the time I knew it wasn't the right decision,
but I didn't think it was a bad decision. Now I do."

"We've run spring training the same way here since I've been here.
When we need extra players, we get them from the minor league camp, just
like we did last year," General Manager Terry Ryan said, defending
Miller's conduct. "These players are paying a price when they didn't do
anything wrong."

The firestorm over Miller's decision to play in the replacement game
didn't crop up until the following season, however, and he spent 1995
with Triple-A Salt Lake City of the Pacific Coast League. Splitting time
behind the plate with Mike Durant, whom the Twins considered a superior
prospect, Miller hit .285 with a 724 OPS in 83 games for the Buzz.

Back at the Twins' Major League Spring Training for real in 1996,
Miller competed against Durant for the backup catcher's job behind Greg
Myers. Durant, a second round pick of the Twins in 1991, beat him out
and appeared in 40 games, hitting .210 with a 540 OPS and five errors
behind the plate. Miller, meanwhile, returned to Salt Lake City where he
became the Buzz' everyday backstop and flourished in his second stint in
the PCL. In 104 games, he batted .286/.336/.416 with 27 doubles and
seven homers, at one point piecing together a 15-game hitting streak.

"This is my second year at Salt Lake, but this time around I'm
catching every day instead of splitting time," Miller told his
home-state Wisconsin State Journal. "That's helped me get into a
good rhythm both at the plate and behind the plate."

Eligible to become a six-year minor league free agent after the
season, Miller instead opted to re-sign a minor league contract with the
Twins. Invited to Spring Training for the fourth time, Miller was sent
back to Salt Lake City where he was to backup Durant. That arrangement
didn't last long, however, as Miller outplayed the starter in every
facet of the game until the former second round pick was released in
July. Miller took over his starting role and played brilliantly, batting
.338 with a 917 OPS and a career-high eleven homers in just 85 games.

When Myers went down with an ankle injury, Miller finally got his
first taste of the big leagues. Added to the Twins' 40-man roster for
the first time, Miller made his Major League debut on August 10th at the
Metrodome against the Yankees. Inserted in the ninth inning with New
York up 9-to-6 for left-handed hitting Scott Stahoviak, Miller was
slated to face southpaw Mike Stanton. Instead, the Yankees brought in
closer Mariano Rivera, who went on to save 43 games with a 1.88 ERA that
season, and the Sandman got Miller to fly-out to right.

Miller remained with the Twins for the rest of the season and
appeared in 25 games. With the team out of the race, Minnesota gave
several of their young players increased opportunities late in the year
and Miller didn't embarrass himself, batting .273 with a 660 OPS. He
took on the role of Brewers'-killer in a late-season series, combining
for four hits in nine at-bats including a grand slam against Jeff
D'Amico, his second career home run (the first came off Willie Blair of
the Tigers).

Slotted to take over the backup catching duties for the Twins in
1998, Miller was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft with the hope
that he would slip by unclaimed. The Diamondbacks scooped him up with
the 19th pick in the second round, however, and gave him the opportunity
to compete with Kelly Stinnett for a backup job in Spring Training.
Arizona opted for Stinnett to open the season and assigned Miller to
Triple-A Tuscon, where the 28-year old hit .349/.434/.492 in 18 games.
He was recalled early in May and spent the rest of the season with the
Diamondbacks. When Jorge Fabregas, the club's starting signal caller,
was dealt to the Mets in a deadline deal, Miller saw his playing time
increase and eventually settled into a platoon with Stinnett. In 57
games, he hit .286/.337/.446, a healthy increase in all three categories
compared to his rookie season, with 14 doubles and three home runs.

Happy with the production they received from their catching duo, the
Diamondbacks maintained the Stinnett/Miller platoon in 1999. While the
two split catching duties for most of Arizona's starting pitchers,
Miller developed a good relationship with newcomer Randy Johnson and
caught most all of the Big Unit's 35 starts. His hitting numbers
declined slightly but the 29-year old Miller hit .270 with a 762 OPS.
Together, the two D-backs catchers combined for 32 doubles, 25 homers,
and a .252 average.

Miller suffered a broken thumb during the last week of the season
that threatened to keep him out of the playoffs. Arizona added him to
their playoff roster but he didn't make an appearance in their division
series loss to the Mets.

Back in a platoon for the 2000 season, Miller got off to a good start
and eventually won the starter's job when Stinnett struggled. On a
disappointing Diamondbacks team that finished third in the NL West,
Miller remained steady behind the plate and with the bat. Reaching 100
games for the first time in his big league career, he hit .275/.347/.441
with 24 doubles and ten homers. And in an embarrassment of riches,
Miller got the opportunity to catch not only Johnson but also Curt
Schilling, who came over in a July deal with the Phillies.

Arbitration eligible for the first time after the season, Miller and
the Diamondbacks could not come to terms on a contract. Offered $875,000
by the team, Miller and his agent countered with a figure of $1.25
million and the issue eventually required an arbitration hearing to
resolve. Miller won his case but both sides remained on good terms
despite the adversarial process.

Slotted as the full-time starter for the first time as a Major
Leaguer, Miller entered 2001 with something to prove.

"I know what I can do," he said during Spring Training. "People have
been telling me I can't do things for a long time. I've been able to
prove them wrong so far. [Manager Bob Brenly] showed confidence in me by
saying I was going to catch around 130 games. I'm going to prove Bob
right. I'll just keep busting my tail and do my job. I don't care what
anyone else says about me."

He got off to a poor start at the plate but turned things around as
the summer progressed. A number of nagging injuries slowed him down,
particularly a partially torn achilles tendon, but Miller was as steady
as a rock for the front-running Diamondbacks. He tore the rotator cuff
in his throwing shoulder in Milwaukee late in September, however, and
was on the brink of seeing his season come to a premature end.

"We talked at length all summer about what he's meant to this
pitching staff, his ability to call a game, do things defensively, such
as block balls, throw out runners," manager Bob Brenly said, assessing
the potential loss of Miller. "He's been the manager on the field. He
eliminates a lot of things I have to do because of the way he handles
the game."

He played through the injury, however, and started all five games of
the team's Division Series against the Cardinals and Championship Series
against the Braves, resting for the only time in the postseason in Game
Five of the World Series against the Yankees. When Craig Counsell scored
the winning run on a Luis Gonzalez base hit off Mariano Rivera in Game
Seven, Miller was rewarded for his toughness with a World Series ring.

"I'd go grocery shopping and it would take an hour longer than it
took before. I'd be buying milk and people would pull me over and want
to talk," said Miller, who batted .208 during the playoffs. "I went to
Home Depot once and practically the entire staff wanted their picture
taken with me. ... In Wisconsin, Home Depot is a happening place."

Because of his run-in with the union several years earlier, however,
Miller's name was not found on any officially-licensed World Series
merchandise.

"It does sting, but it's sort of a joke," Miller said. "There's not
much I can do. I'm not going to sit here and bad-mouth the union. If I
don't have my name on stuff, I don't. I think some of the fans get more
upset about this than I do. I'm still like everyone else on the team; I
still get a ring."

The Diamondbacks re-signed Miller to a one-year, $2.65 million
contract and he spent Spring Training building up his arm strength after
taking it easy on his injured shoulder during the off-season. He got off
to a hot start, hitting .280 with a 970 OPS in April, and finished the
first half with a .263/.355/.469 line, 19 doubles, and nine homers. He
was named to the National League All-Star team along with five of his
teammates, a dream come true for the man from self-described "Mayberry
USA".

"One thing I will never do is take this stuff for granted," said
Miller, who did not commit an error during the first half and threw out
42.2% of would-be base stealers. "I never thought of myself at an
All-Star level, but I never stopped believing in myself, and that's a
key to succeeding in this game. Obviously, I would have loved to have
gotten to the big leagues quicker, but I wouldn't change a thing that's
happened to me."

Back in Wisconsin for the All-Star Game, Miller admitted to remaining
a fan of the team from Milwaukee.

"I grew up a Milwaukee Brewers fan and am still a Brewers fan," he
said proudly. "These are still my Brewers. My dad and my brother still
listen to Bob Uecker every night and I check the box score every morning
to see how the Brewers did the night before."

Miller made the most of his opportunity and went 2-for-3 with a pair
of doubles after replacing Mike Piazza in the fifth.

"It was great timing, getting a hit in my first at-bat with a lot of
family and friends watching," Miller said after the game. "I just wish
the outcome would have been different."

Back with the Diamondbacks, Miller cooled off in the second half and
missed time with a lower back strain. He slumped to .143 in July and
.190 in August and lost playing time to a hot Chad Moeller, his future
teammate in Milwaukee. After posting an 824 OPS in the first half,
Miller hit just .205 with a 622 OPS after the All-Star break. By the
time the playoffs rolled around, Miller was splitting time with Moeller,
who caught Randy Johnson, and Rod Barajas, who caught Miguel Batista.

"With Randy, I'm thinking it must've been a superstitious thing,"
said Miller about the breakup. "But of course, it's frustrating for me.
I caught him for three years, and he won three Cy Youngs."

The Diamondbacks were swept by the Cardinals in the NL Division
Series and Miller went 1-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks in his
only appearance.

It was only three months since Miller was on top of the world. Now,
he was wondering what happened.

"That seems like a million years ago," he shrugged. "Maybe more."

Looking to cut payroll, Arizona put Miller on the trading block and
dealt him to the Cubs for left-hander David Noyce and outfielder Gary
Johnson, both minor leaguers.

"We're happy to have him. He's a quality guy and player and we wanted
to address the catching situation," Chicago GM Jim Hendry said. "He's a
good handler of pitchers and has done a good job for a long time."

The Cubs pencilled Miller in as their starting catcher and signed him
to a two-year, $5.7 million contract to buy out his final year of
arbitration and first year of free agency.

"I think it's a fair deal," Hendry said. "It certainly gives us the
ability to have a quality catcher ready to play. It gives Damian some
security in this point in his career. He made it real clear that he
wanted to play here."

For Arizona's part, Noyce was diagnosed with a torn labrum and hasn't
pitched since the trade. The Cubs sent left-hander Mark Freed to make up
for the injury and the Diamondbacks converted him to a reliever, a role
he's fulfilled well at Double-A El Paso and Triple-A Tucson. In 2004,
the 26-year old went 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA in 57 games with the
Sidewinders. Johnson, on the other hand, was not offered a contract and
instead signed with the Angels. He made his Major League debut in 2003
in a brief cup of coffee and hit .253/.346/.388 in 91 games with
Triple-A Salt Lake in 2004.

After spending the previous five seasons catching the likes of Randy
Johnson, Curt Schilling, and Miguel Batista, Miller joined a Cubs' team
staffed with young fireballers Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Matt Clement, and
Carlos Zambrano. Acquired to help nurture this young quartet into
stardom, Miller again got off to a solid start at the plate, batting
.274 with an 891 OPS in April. He slumped to well below his career
norms, however, and finished the season with a 680 OPS, his worst since
appearing in just 25 games during his rookie season.

Still, Miller's handling of the Cubs' young pitching staff was
outstanding. He made just three errors, gunned down 39.1% of potential
base stealers, and helped his pitchers post a 3.88 ERA with him behind
the plate.

"I've been lucky," Miller said humbly. "That's all it is. Good
pitchers like that make catchers look good. I've been fortunate to be
able to handle those guys and get some respect from them."

With Miller's help (defensively more than offensively), the Cubs won
the NL Central with an 88-74 record and beat the Braves
three-games-to-two in the Division Series. The Marlins bested them in
the Championship Series, however, in a memorable seven game contest.
Miller was just 3-for-21 in the postseason and appeared in only eight of
the Cubs' twelve games.

"I was trying too hard to hit home runs," Miller said about his poor
offensive showing in 2003. "I got away from the success I'd had in the
past hitting the ball the other way. I thought (at Wrigley) I'd hit 20
home runs for sure, and I got into a home-run groove. I'd tell myself
not to, and I'd still do it anyway."

Looking to acquire long-sought-after Michael Barrett and upgrade
their offense behind the plate, the Cubs took part in a complicated
three-team series of deals during the off-season that sent Miller to the
Athletics, Barrett to the Cubs, and left-hander Brett Price to the
Expos. The A's also received $800,000 from Chicago to help defray the
cost of Miller's $3 million contract.

"One of our greatest assets, if not our greatest asset, is our
pitching staff," A's GM Billy Beane said about the move. "We had some
options offensively, but once again we wanted to make sure defense and
the ability to handle a talented pitching staff was the number one
priority when acquiring a guy."

Oakland's gain was Chicago's loss.

"I was disappointed that he got traded," said Mark Prior, who went
18-6 with a 2.43 ERA under Miller's care. "He had a big impact on what I
did last year. He had a big impact on our entire staff. I was upset and
disappointed. I didn't see it coming. It wasn't something I was
expecting when the season was over. We were pretty good friends. All of
us starters were good friends with him."

Remarkably, though, Miller joined a pitching staff with talent to
rival even the Cubs and Diamondbacks. After catching Johnson, Schilling,
Wood, and Prior, the 34-year old joined an Oakland staff that included
Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, and Mark Mulder.

"I go home at night thankful that I get to work with such great
pitchers and take pride that I busted my tail for them," Miller said
about his good fortune. "You earn their trust by sticking your fingers
down with conviction. It would be nice to stay in one place, but it's
also great to know that teams get you to work with those pitchers. All
those guys are special, and I'm looking forward to catching the great
pitching staff here."

Offensively, Miller rebounded from a disappointing 2003 to post a
.272 average and 742 OPS, closer to his production in Arizona than
Chicago. He hit a career-high 25 doubles and drove in a career-high 58
runs while playing stellar defense. In 109 games, he committed only one
error and threw out 35 of 46 potential base stealers, a ratio of 43.2%,
second in the American League.

Miller expressed interest in returning to Oakland for 2005, but Beane
and the A's chose to pursue other options (eventually settling on Jason
Kendall, whom they acquired in a trade with the Pirates). The Red Sox
pursued Miller vigorously as a "Plan B" in case they were unable to
re-sign free agent Jason Varitek and the Dodgers also expressed
interest. It was the Brewers, however, that came out on top with a
three-year, $8.75 million contract. The 35-year old will earn $3.25
million in 2005 and 2006; in 2007, the Brewers can exercise a $3.75
million option or Miller can exercise a $2.25 million option with
$750,000 in performance incentives if the club declines.

The deal was almost sunk when concerns arose over an MRI of Miller's
throwing shoulder. GM Doug Melvin consulted with Team Physician William
Raasch and noted orthopedic surgeon Lewis Yocum and the group concluded
that Miller's injury will not prevent him from remaining effective.

And with that, the Brewers finally filled their persistent hole
behind the plate.

"In seven years at Texas, I never had to worry about a catcher,"
Melvin said. "I had Pudge Rodriguez all the time. Here in Milwaukee, it
seems like each year we were trying to find someone to go back there and
be identified as a No. 1 catcher. With Damian, that puts a worry behind
us for a few years."

"He can take that experience and knowledge he's had with all those
great pitchers and bring it to our ball club. His experience and
leadership is important with a club like ours that is going to have a
lot of younger players over the next few years."

Over his eight-year career, Miller has compiled a .264/.331/.419
batting line with 143 doubles and 68 homers in 716 games. After a
sub-par offensive season in 2003, he rebounded nicely in 2004 and has
posted a double digit Value Over Replacement Player in all but two of
his big league campaigns. His VORP rate didn't return to the form Miller
showed in his final three years in Arizona, but at .168 in 2004 Miller
was slightly better at his position than Geoff Jenkins (.164) was at
his.

Over the last three seasons, Miller has hit .252/.330/.401 and has
consistently worn down in the second half. Prior to the All-Star Break,
Miller's OPS over that span is 779; after it, his total drops to 645.
September has been particularly tough, with Miller hitting just .201
with a 580 OPS during the month.

Defensively, the signal caller has improved his fielding percentage
every year from 1998-2004 and has consistently gunned down more than 35
percent of opposing base stealers. A modified version of Baseball
Prospectus' Stolen Base Runs Prevented metric ([.49xCS]-[.16xSB])
indicates that Miller's value as a thrower reached an all-time high in
2004 when he saved the Athletics nearly ten runs with his arm.

"My heart was always here," Miller said about his move to Milwaukee.
"I was hoping the Brewers could work something out because I really
wanted to be part of something good that was going to happen here. I
think it's just a matter of time."

The Brewers are hoping that Miller's arrival will speed up that
process.

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I have known Damian Miller since the first grade. I even have a kindergarten picture of his wife Jeanne. Since we graduated from West Salem, I have traveled to see him play in the minors and I now find myself traveling to Miller Park on a regular basis. D. Miller is living MY dream as well.

I think Damian Miller is one of the hardest working and most effective players of MLB. Watching him play baseball is exciting. He never slacks off. He always gets behind the ball. He's strong, fast, and tenacious.He is also extremely sexy. His height, physique, eyes, and smile make watching baseball an enjoyable experience. - An avid Brewer fan